CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Nick’s Barber Shop has been in business just down the street from Westover Air Reserve Base since the late 1960’s. The James Street barber shop is one of the oldest businesses near the base, and has long been patronized by members of the military.

Owner Emilio Mancuso told 22News that he expects his business to take a hit due to the Pentagon’s plan to transfer about half of Westover’s fleet of C-5 aircraft to Texas.

But he told 22News that he expects to survive this. After being in business for so long, Nick’s has developed a loyal clientele of both service members and people not in the military. As such, Mancuso estimated that about 1/3 of his customers come from the base.

Mancuso told 22News that he doesn’t expect this plan to have as bad an impact as when the Air Force transitioned Westover from an Air Force Base to an Air Reserve Base. When that happened, back in 1974, the base had shut down for a couple of months, which was devastating for business.